When They Were
by jin0uga
Summary: Yang's warmth seeps into her body. Ruby's heart twinges. Enabler. Oneshot.


Ruby is five years old when she first sees Yang crying. Her sister's face framed by soft, golden hair.

She tugs on Yang's shirt and asks, "Yang, sad?" Her innocent, silver eyes grow cloudy with tears.

If possible, Yang's sobs grow louder. She thinks of their father, who is upstairs, pounding his fists on the door with enough strength to shatter bone. Yang knows he'll keep at it until the door breaks, or until his aura runs dry and makes his knuckles bleed.

Yang swallows in an effort to force down her tears. But in the end, she falls to her knees.

She wraps her scrawny arms around Ruby and presses her face into the crook of Ruby's neck. The warmth, the scent of roses, is both painful and comforting. It reminds her of their mother. Summer Rose. The woman who baked cookies and showered them with hugs and kisses and stories of heroes.

… _dead, torn to shreds by Grimm…_

And with that thought vanishes the last of her energy, leaving Yang draped over her baby sister like a withered vine.

Ruby stays silent and unmoving. But eventually, a pair of tiny arms wrap around Yang's neck, Ruby clumsily running her hands through Yang's unruly hair. Yang's arms tighten around Ruby, and her heart breaks a little more.

What will she tell Ruby?

* * *

Yang is twelve when a boy steals her first kiss.

She sends him flying with a right hook to his jaw, and glares at his retreating back when he runs crying to a teacher.

When the teacher comes out, hauling the boy with her and demanding an explanation, Yang hisses that he's lucky she didn't add his nose to the list of things that should be broken.

The boy whimpers when she shakes her fist.

As they're both dragged to detention, Yang slightly glad that he'd at least kissed her properly, unlike the disgusting, slobbery kisses she sees other boys giving the girls in her class.

Taiyang doesn't pick her from the principal's office. They release her with a warning and dump her outside the school. Yang pretends not to care, but has to bite her lip to keep from crying.

She scolds herself for feeling the way she does. After all, a father who can't stay sober on his daughter's birthday shouldn't be depended on.

Yang expects to walk home by herself but is pleasantly surprised when she reaches the dirt road leading to her home. Ruby is leaning against a tree, waiting for her. The girl with red-tipped hair rushes to greet Yang, throwing her arms around her with an excited squeal.

"Whoa there, Rubes." Yang laughs. "I'm pretty fragile, y'know?"

"Oh please! I heard all about the fight." Ruby pretends to shadow box, which earns a loud snort from Yang, "Practically the whole school is talking about how you broke his jaw!"

Yang shrugs. "It wasn't a big deal." She says, ruffling her sister's hair.

Even so, Yang can't help square her shoulders with pride. Knocking over a boy twice your height and weight is no easy feat, and he'd gone down in just one hit. Her training was definitely paying off.

"Besides, that sucker deserved it. He just kissed me outta nowhere. I mean, what was I supposed to do? Shake his hand or something?"

Ruby gasps, silver eyes going as wide as dinner saucers. "What?!" Her shriek is loud to shatter glass. As it stands, Yang winces and clamps her hands over her ears. "That's…that's horrible!" Ruby bawls, "First kisses are supposed to be special! I say we find him so I can whoop his ass!" She gestures angrily at the empty blue sky. The sight is more endearing than worrying.

Yang pinches Ruby's cheek, scowling. "No can do, Ruby. I can't have you getting in trouble."

"But he deserves it!" Ruby protests.

"Aw," Yang teases, "Look at you, trying to defend my honor." She laughs when Ruby goes beet red. "Don't worry, I can take care of myself. Besides, he won't be pulling that stunt again. I'm sure he finds it too much of a _mouthful_." Yang waggles her eyebrows.

Ruby groans. "Ugh, Yang!"

The trip home is anything but silent. The air brims with laughter.

* * *

Ruby is fifteen, and the leader of team RWBY, when she asks her partner by the name of Weiss out to dinner.

After Weiss leaves, Yang helps Ruby get ready, and feels pride swell in her bosom when Ruby twirls in her dress – looking more beautiful than Yang can ever remember her being. Sitting on the bed opposite the sisters, Blake makes a noise of surprise and admiration.

"You look great, Ruby." The cat Faunus smiles.

"T-Thanks." Ruby replies shyly, smoothing out the non-existent wrinkles on her dress. Yang rolls her eyes and take Ruby's hands in hers, giving them an affectionate squeeze. Ruby's eyes crinkle with happiness, and for the first time ever, Yang feels a pang in her stomach. She chalks it up as worry, and covers her confused expression by beaming.

"Knock her dead, Ruby!" Yang pauses. "Well, not literally." She breaks out in giggles, and receives a playful chop to the head.

They talk for a while, Yang intent on getting her baby sister to relax, but the uneasy note is Ruby's voice does not go unnoticed. As the meeting time draws closer, Yang sees the fright in her sister's silver eyes amplify. Before Yang realizes what she's doing – she leans forward to press their foreheads together.

Ruby squeaks in surprise, and one of Blake's eyebrows rise.

Yang ignores her partner's questioning gaze and says to Ruby, "Don't worry so much. Weiss may be a lot of things, but she has good taste."

"What if…" Ruby swallows, "What if she says I look bad?" The idea itself is absurd, but Yang knows she can't brush it off. Yang falls silent, and the rest of the room follows.

"In that case, she'll have to talk to knuckle," Yang holds up her left fist. "And sandwich." She holds up her right.

In the end, Ruby laughs so hard that she nearly passes out, and her two teammates end up carrying her to the appointed meeting place. Weiss is speechless and rightly so. But thankfully, Ruby gathers her bearings, and Blake and Yang send them off with smiles.

.

.

Four months later, when Ruby's relationship inevitably falls apart (It's no one's fault. The two of them are young, and fickle in life and love) she climbs into Yang's bed and cries into her shoulder.

Yang rubs Ruby's back in small, steady circles. She waits until Ruby falls asleep before following after.

Team RWBY is never quite the same again.

And now, when Yang looks at her sister, she feels something in her chest expand.

The Vytal Festival arrives.

Ruby still sleeps in Yang's bed.

* * *

Yang is…Yang is...

Yang doesn't know what to think anymore.

She's supposed to be happy that she's back on patch, in the home she grew up in. But all she feels is a hollow emptiness – represented by the place where her right arm used to be.

Yang swears she can still feel it.

When Taiyang leaves the room Yang focuses on the cup on her nightstand. It's the one she's had since she could walk, the one with the gold trimmed handle and the giant alphabet 'Y' etched in the front.

She imagines running her fingers over the smooth porcelain. Then she imagines tossing it out of the window.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a knock on her door. Ruby peeks in, a mix of worry and longing in her sad, silver eyes.

"Yang?" Her voice is small. Like the child she once was. It pulls at Yang's heart, and she replies in a soft voice of her own. Yang cringes at the sound of her own voice. It's heavy with defeat. It sounds like a stranger's.

They talk. But Yang can't keep her facade up for long, and the despair buried in her gut claws up, and up, and up. She can't even look at Ruby without envy burning a hole in her throat. Because her baby sister is whole, and she's _not_.

Ruby's head hangs low as she turns to leave the room. "I love you." She whispers.

Yang can't reply. She just grits her teeth and chokes on unshed tears.

* * *

Ruby disappears.

* * *

.

.

Not a month goes by that Yang doesn't think about her.

* * *

There's news of a girl with a red cape. The address is that of a hospital in Mistral.

Yang is out the door as fast as her feet can carry her.

* * *

Ruby is seventeen when Yang barrels into her hospital room with all the force of a freight train sent flying off its rails.

Ruby tightens the blanket around herself when angry, lilac eyes settle on her. She swallows, fear pooling in her stomach as Yang stalks towards her.

"Your arm." Ruby blurts out, surprise overriding fear when she sees it. "It's…"

Yang huffs and pats her prosthetic. It's cold to the touch. But the coldness is what chases her nightmares away.

She hasn't put herself back together just yet, but she's determined to try. For her father. For Ruby.

Ruby ducks under the blanket when Yang scowls.

"You are in so much trouble, Ruby Rose."

* * *

Team RWBY reunites, and team RNJR disbands.

Jaune runs makes a comment about how RNJR was better and runs away, screaming, when Weiss takes offense and comes after him with the pointy end of her rapier. Nora, despite Ren's protests casually asks Blake if she can pat her cat ears.

Ten minutes later, Ren is taking stock of their supplies while Blake is a puddle of goo in Nora's lap.

"Team RWBY is back!" Ruby cheers, pumping her fist in the air.

Yang's smile is bright and happy as she wraps her arms around her. Her baby sister is warm, and smells of roses and _home_. Ruby buries her face into Yang's shoulder to hide the tears.

Yang's warmth seeps into her body. Ruby's heart twinges.

* * *

The Grimm are no more.

Salem lies dead in a pool of black blood, the eerie light of her eyes fading completely. Cinder is face down on the ground several feet away from her, crimson pooling beneath her still body.

Jaune squares his shoulders and walks towards Cinder. He tugs her arrow out of the ground and stabs it in her back. The gold on his shield, glitters.

No one says a word, but Nora claps in appreciation.

"It's finally over, huh." Weiss breathes, her chest rising as she watches the sky turn from dark purple into a bright, blue hue.

Blake chuckles in agreement and says, "Yeah."

She pulls out a thermos filled with hot tea and pours herself a cup. When Weiss gives her a look – the one that she regularly uses to convey her incredulity – Blake rolls her eyes, swallows a mouthful of tea, and hands it over to the heiress.

Ruby and Yang are several feet away, sitting next to the body of a man with a braided pony tail. Yang toes his body. Her frown disappears when Ruby's head settles on her shoulder.

Ruby lifts one hand to touch her eye patch and frowns.

"What would dad say?" She sighs into her palm.

Yang merely chuckles, and shuts her eyes. A gust of fresh air rolls past. Yang muses that it smells of spring.

Yang's hands find their way into Ruby's. Shakily, she presses a gentle kiss to Ruby's scarred knuckles, grinning when Ruby flushes darkly.

* * *

They eventually realize that they're in love.

It takes people some time to adjust, but everyone is happy for them. And anyway, it's not exactly a shocking turn of events, given how they're practically stuck at the hip even after all these years.

Ruby and Yang frequently enjoy rides on bumblebee into the sunset. They feed each other whenever the mood arises, and are not shy about answering questions about their relationship. Yang frequently brags about it. And Ruby always shushes her with a quick kiss.

Every morning after her morning run, Ruby surprises her sister with flowers. Yang, in turn, makes breakfast for Ruby. Feeding her despite the embarrassed protests.

But in the end, the best thing about being in love is…

" _Yang?"_

" _Hm?"_

 _Ruby smiles. "I love you."_

 _Yang laughs, and kisses her. Softly. Sweetly._

" _I love you too."_

* * *

 _A/N:_ My male!ruby whiterose oneshot isn't done yet, and I got seized by the temptation to write enabler. So here you go! I kept wanting to read a fluffish enabler story, but the amount of smut to fluff enabler fics is horribly skewed. Not that I'm complaining, but there are just times you need a good dose of fluff to keep you going.

And also. RWBY vol 4 is out! What do you guys think about the first episode so far? I was kinda upset at first, but I've gotten over it. I love the new opening song, so they'd better put it on itunes soon.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the oneshot.


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